


The Eliot Spencer Primer

by Hagar



Category: Leverage
Genre: Fannish Research & Reference Guides, Gen, Meta, Military Background, Military Training, Special Forces, Trauma, US Army Special Forces, Veterans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 22:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8640619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hagar/pseuds/Hagar
Summary: This work combines known canonical information about Eliot Spencer with real-world data to reconstruct a putative, skeletal timeline of Eliot’s life pre-team. This minimal timeline is presented alongside basic primers to the relevant real-life topics.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laughsalot3412](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laughsalot3412/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Eliot meta (1)](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/243100) by Hagar. 
  * Inspired by [Eliot meta (2)](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/243103) by Hagar. 



> With thanks to L. and N., my referents.

The purpose of this work is to construct a minimal theory of Eliot's life pre-canon. It is intended to serve as a reference for other fannish creators, whether in itself or as a starting point for further research. To achieve this purpose, the author took care to: (1) list and annotate all relevant canon information, (2) separate her fannish supposition from factual canon, (3) clearly label and present said supposition. Initial guides to relevant real-world topics are also presented, alongside recommended early reading.

 

### CANON

**Timeline**

There are only two hard-set dates of Eliot’s life that we know of: in 2005 Eliot was working independently (or at least on a private basis) in Belgrade, and in 2008 he was contracted by Dubenich and subsequently joined Leverage Inc. Additionally, we know that at some point between the termination of Eliot’s service and his being contracted by Dubenich, he was in the employ of Damien Moreau. Notably, Moreau also mentions Belgrade (which was shown in Eliot’s first flashback).

An additional temporal element that’s external to canon but nevertheless relevant is Christian Kane’s age. Kane was born in 1972, making him 36 at the time the show premiered. This provides a ballpark estimate of Eliot’s age at the time.

**Characterization**

Three trends in Eliot’s characterization are identified as consistent and pertinent: Special Forces-type skills, early life socioeconomic, and his difficult relationship with and teamwork and trust.

Eliot is portrayed as trained in multiple hand-to-hand fighting styles and proficient with every imaginable weapon (and some that are harder to imagine). He also speaks multiple languages (primarily Central to Eastern European and West Asian; see wikia for details) and has a tendency (and likely has been trained) to instruct others. This skill profile is consistent with US Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets. (Though this skill profile can also match any of the Special Operating Forces units, the Special Forces are considered likelier for reasons to be discussed later.) Indeed, in s04e11 Eliot is identified as a member of the Special Forces community (broadly construed) by veteran members of said. Notably, given Eliot’s continued positive relationship with active members of said community (see in particular s05e09 The Rundown Job), it’s unlikely his active service terminated on dishonorable or otherwise negative terms.

Eliot states himself to have come from a rural, small-town, blue-collar background. The barn-working client of s01e03 The Two-Horse Job is a pre-service peer of Eliot’s; he also shows significant identification with the clients (and their communities) of episodes s03e10 The Underground Job (coal-mining town ) and s05e11 The Low Low Price Job (in which he states his father to have owned a small hardware store). When the home of Eliot’s father is shown (at the tail end of s05e11), it’s a rural ranch-style home set in an area that seems to have some elevation, though it’s not quite mountainous. The best match for this profile is the area known as Appalachia, and specifically (given the specifics of these communities which evoke the strongest response in Eliot) the center and west of it.

One of Eliot’s main arcs throughout the show’s run is his difficulties with teamwork and trust, and wrestling with these difficulties. In s01e01 The Nigerian Job, Eliot states that he doesn’t “do” teams; in s02e01 The Second David Job, Eliot states himself (in a conversation with Sophie) to experience (and be upset by) emotional whiplash from the team disbanding then reforming. In s05e02, Eliot relays a personal (if heavily redacted) account of having done things he knew to be wrong because it was for his team and loved ones; this may refer either to the circumstances of Eliot leaving the military and becoming a private contractor or to his time with Moreau, but, as in s04e18 The Last Dam Job, Eliot indicates (in a conversation with Nate) that he was still in uniform when his corruption began, the former seems more likely. (In same conversation, Eliot makes a reference to “ten years ago”; however, the phrasing is ambiguous and may also refer to his first kill, or even his enlistment.) That said, Eliot’s history with Moreau may have well contributed to the trust-related trauma Eliot displays.

 

### BACKGROUND

###### Appalachia

The history of Appalachia is long and complex, and the author of this fannish essay has no pretense to summarize it; one would be better served by turning to more qualified resources. This section - even more than others - is intended as a brief introduction, listing and contextualizing the canon cues for those not previously sensitized to them.

Appalachia is a so-called “cultural region” in the central-to-southern eastern part of the United States. (Though the Appalachian Ridge stretches all the way from Canada, only the part beginning at the southern end of the State of New York is considered of the cultural region.) This area is best known for two things: an abundance of natural resources (specifically coal) and a deficit of financial ones - namely, poverty (and all that’s associated with it, e.g. alcohol and drug abuse).

Appalachia hasn’t always been poor, though it very nearly always been poorer than the near lowlands. The current stereotypes associated with Appalachia and Appalachians developed during the 19th and - specifically - the 20th centuries, after the US Civil War; this is the same period during which the region economically declined, leading to significant out-migration and so a destabilization of the age pyramid (population aging).

Eliot’s presentation is parsed as Southern or Midwestern in similar frequencies. The clients and communities with which he most strongly identifies and to which he most strongly reacts are rural; show a mix of mountainous and flat-elevated terrain; are in economic decline; and suffer from out-migration of its younger generation(s). This, together with Eliot’s “simple” facade, sum up to the popular image of Appalachia and Appalachians. (Minus some of the more brutal stereotypes; this narrative treatment is similar to the gentle hand with which the show handles Eliot’s military and mercenary past.)

Of the above-mentioned clients and communities, one is a coal-mine town and the other is a horse handler. Appalachia’s coal-mines are centered primarily in its central region; areas known for horses, to the west. These parameters combine to suggest West Virginia or the eastern parts of Kentucky. For a real-life example of the sort of a town Eliot might’ve grown up in, consider Williamson, WV.

Another factor which one may want to consider is that Christian Kane, the actor portraying Eliot, is Cherokee (mixed heritage). Indeed, that is the background of Kane’s beaded braids. As Kane also wore these braids while portraying Eliot, and as the Cherokee are native to Appalachia, it is advised to consider this when reconstructing Eliot’s familial history.

**Recommended Reading**

  * [Appalachia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia)
  * [Williamson, WV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamson,_West_Virginia)
  * [Christian Kane on his heritage - link 1](http://www.eonline.com/au/news/135115/christian-kane-is-a-lover-and-a-fighter-on-leverage)
  * [Christian Kane on his heritage - link 2](http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/295118)
  * [Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Band_of_Cherokee_Indians)



 

###### US Army Special Forces

 **Covert operations.** Any and all intelligence-related operations, carried out in silence: they are not meant to be publicly known. Covert operations are typically carried out in foreign countries, but can also be executed domestically. They may be carried out by intelligence officers, by military forces or in collaboration. Covert operations may be for many purposes, including but not limited to intelligence collection (e.g. planting a wiretap or otherwise “bugging” a target, obtaining copies of documents, HUMINT handling) or more classically offensive purposes (kidnapping, assassination).

 **Special Operations Forces (SOF).** US Military units which may be engaged in covert ops. Includes (non-exhaustive): Army Special Forces (the “Green Berets”, 20 groups of 3 battalions each), Delta Force, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs (in particular DEVGRU, otherwise known as Team Six), Marines Corps Force Recon and various Air Force Special Forces units.

 **Special Operations Command (SOCOM).** A unified command of the US Department of Defence, tasked with any and all things Special Operations-related. This includes force-building (training and purchases) as well as the preparation, control and support of Special Operations. (That is, forces providing support for SO are put - at least temporarily - under the control of SOCOM.)

 **US Army Special Forces.** Not so much a unit as a sprawling conglomerate of units. Unique among US Military combat units in being employed throughout the entire peacetime to war continuum. The US Military’s leading unconventional warfare force, the Special Forces nevertheless spend most of their time training and otherwise assisting friendly foreign forces (Foreign Internal Defence). The operational groups within the Special Forces specialize by geographic region; this means that soldiers and officers from each group will have acquired somewhat different skills (e.g. languages). Notably, SF candidates do not necessarily go through the Ranger School pipeline, with all that implies: though the minimum requirement for said pipeline is 2yr of exemplary service, it’s rare for candidates to be younger than 30. (The reasons for this have to do both with acquisition of skill, and mental stability.)

 **Weapons Sergeant.** Though all officers in the SF initially go through the same pipeline (other than the group-specific), soldiers may be selected and trained to specialize in any of: weapons (inc. tactics), combat engineering, communication, or combat medicine. All SF personnel are trained above regular infantry level in all of these (most notably, one must assume any SF member is a qualified combat medic; the qualification discussed here exceeds that. Of special interest in this context are Weapons Sergeants, who are trained to operate virtually any known weapon (from light to heavy) as well as themselves train and direct forces through platoon or company level. Indeed, Weapons Sergeants spend much of their operations time training, directing and otherwise advising friendly forces.

 

* * *

 

The Special Forces seem the most likely unit for Eliot to have come from, for a number of reasons:

  * The selection and training forces of the Special Forces is more permissive towards younger (<30yr) candidates than other units
  * Eliot does not display any of the behavioral/psychological patterns specific to other units (most specifically Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and the USAF’s relevant units)
  * Eliot’s culture-specific knowledge shows a pattern of geographic specialization, which best fits the SF’s mode of employment
  * Eliot’s skill profile best matches that of a Weapons Sergeant



Determining _which_ Operations Group Eliot had been part of is a little tricky. Formally, it’s the 10th Group that’s tasked with Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. However, it’s the 1st Group, formally assigned to the Pacific, that’s known to have been active in Bosnia. Emphasis “known”: much - if not most - of what SOF are engaged with is not publicly known.) Eliot could’ve conceivably belonged to either of these groups.

Bosnia is of particular importance when attempting to reconstruct Eliot’s service history. It, like Serbia - of which Belgrade is the capital city - is part of the former Yoguslav state. The breakup of Yoguslavia is one of the main conflicts US Army forces were involved in during the 1990s; the Yoguslav conflict has a particular reputation for crimes of war, specifically those committed by foreign forces involved in it. Leverage canon emphasizes Belgrade’s place in Eliot’s past; the timeline’s reconstruction suggests Eliot’s time in Belgrade was shortly after his active service - and we know the end of Eliot’s time in uniform was brought about by events that either are, or come very close to being, crimes of war.

 

 

* * *

 

**Recommended Reading**

  * [Encyclopedia of Espionage](http://www.faqs.org/espionage/)
  * [US SOCOM](http://www.faqs.org/knowledge/United_States_Special_Operations_Command.html)
  * [RASP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_Assessment_and_Selection_Program) ([Ranger School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_School) prerequisite)
  * [US Army Ranger training](http://www.military.com/special-operations/army-ranger-training.html)
  * [US Army Special Forces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Forces_\(United_States_Army\)) [Selection & Training](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Special_Forces_selection_and_training)
  * [Military 101 for civilians](http://chimaamla.tumblr.com/post/142386055900/giant-military-masterpost-for-writers)
  * [Glossary of military slang](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary_of_military_slang) (Anglo-centric)



 

 

### CONCLUSIONS

  * Eliot grew up in a small town of declining population in the area of the United States known as Appalachia
  * His primary relationship was with his father (rather than his mother, both parents, or some other adult)
  * He is probably of Cherokee descent, and likely identifies as such
  * He enlisted with the US Military soon as he was legally able
  * He went on to qualify for and join the Special Forces
  * His area of specialty was most likely Eastern Europe, with the next-likely possibility being Southeast Asia
  * Out of loyalty to his then-teammates, he became complicit in something unsavory
  * He did not suffer legal consequences from this incident, indicating it was either minimally legal or else ignored (or truly unnoticed) by command
  * Either Eliot’s enlistment or the above incident occurred about a decade prior to the S4 finale, that is, circa 2001
  * Once in the private sector, Eliot became involved in increasingly criminal enterprises, leading to his eventual employment by Damien Moreau
  * After leaving Moreau’s crew, Eliot followed a self-imposed “no teams” policy until he was contracted by Dubenich



 


End file.
